The Concert that Changed My Life
Me and Lang Lang after a concert in 2012.
This article is part of a new series I’m doing called Piano Confidential: Tales Of a Struggling Concert Pianist. This is my story: a wacky ADHD kid that ended up building and imploding several companies, non-profits, and developed a complicated relationship with music.
When you’re a 13-year old boy, baseball practice, hanging out at the arcade, going paint-balling with your friends, or hanging out at the movie theater are all things that come to mind in American suburbia. My adolescent lifestyle was fairly similar, except for a smattering of after school academic and music classes.
However, having recently quit the piano, TV became my new hobby. Whenever the Lakers were playing or Dragon Ball Z aired on Cartoon Network, my ass was firmly glued to the corduroy couch in our family living room.
My mom knew I needed to get out of the house, or at least be motivated to do something with my free time instead of soaking in radiation. A world-famous concert pianist was playing Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto in San Diego. His name is Lang Lang. If you’re not familiar with him, he’s the Justin Timberlake of the piano world. During this part of his career, it was rare for him to come to Southern California, and so my mom jumped at the chance to get tickets.
One Thursday afternoon after my English tutoring, my mom told me to go change into a suit. I did. Then she said to go pee. I did. Then she said we’re going to San Diego. I asked why. She said, “We’re going to see Lang Lang, but we’ve got to hurry. There's lots of traffic.”
The traffic was ludicrous. The hour and a half drive to get there took 3 hours. By the time we found the parking structure, tore off our ticket stubs, and hobbled up the stairs, Lang Lang and the San Diego Symphony were already done with the first movement of Rachmaninoff’s Second. The usher barred us from entering, saying we were only allowed until the entire concerto was finished.
My mom begged the usher to at least let me in since we drove all that way to hear Lang Lang play. Begrudgingly, he put his first finger next to his mouth, gently pushed the door, and squeezed me in like Alice going through the rabbit hole.
It was dark. Red velvet chairs adorned with elderly people radiated throughout the hall. Right in front of me resided a brightly lit stage with a 100-person orchestra, a conductor, a 9-foot Model D Steinway piano, and Lang Lang.
Lang Lang and the San Diego Philharmonic playing Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto.
I frantically scrambled through my pockets to look for my ticket stub. Next to the perforated edges, it read “H-6”. I started to make my procession to my seat. The strings began to play a long and evocative introduction, enveloping the hall with a rich warmth and depth of sound. As the violins and cellos started to disappear, the piano started playing, like little bells ringing in the far off distance. Then, a clarinet drops from the back of the concert hall, playing the sweetest melody. Soon, a duet between pianist and orchestra, Lang Lang and one hundred people unfolded from the stage. It was like watching a ballet. It was serene, absolutely tranquil, and a well of emotional energy.
I stood completely frozen in the aisle of that big hall, transfixed on the wonder of true beauty. I didn’t know music like this could exist. I didn’t know that the piano, this percussive instrument, could transform black dots on a page into pure emotion. My eyes watered. Goosebumps covered my body, head to toe.
It was on this day I fell in love with the piano. And my life changed forever.
I helped organize a masterclass at Harvard with Lang Lang. This was captured shortly after that event backstage in Sanders Theater. (I’m the guy with very poor hair choice on the very left.)
I was lucky to meet Lang Lang a few times in my life. During one concert I got to share my epiphany with him. He gave me a big hug. Thanks Lang Lang.
After I unbuckled my seat belt after getting back home, I emailed some piano teachers an audition CD I had recorded a while back asking for lessons. I had no idea what I had just got myself into…
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